DILI, 16 september, 2021 (TATOLI)– The United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) expects the UN Food System Summit (UNFSS) to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
UNWFP’s Country Director, Dageng Liu said that the world’s food systems are deeply flawed. These flaws affect the whole world, but most of all they affect the 811 million people that go to bed hungry each night. Their very existence is a clear sign that the food systems are not working well enough.
One third of all food produced (worth $1 trillion) is wasted. At the same time, millions of families around the world cannot access enough nutritious food, because they can’t afford it or because they are cut out of food systems by geography, politics or disruptions such as COVID-19: “Our food systems have an enormous impact on the natural environment. They are exhausting the soil and water and producing one third of greenhouse gases,”
“ To achieve Zero Hunger , we need a food system that is more productive, more inclusive of marginalized populations, more sustainable and resilient, and able to deliver healthy, nutritious diets to all,” Dageng told Tatoli journalist at his office Caicoli, this Wednesday.
The Summit is a great opportunity to harness science and technology to improve nutrition, safeguard the environment, and focus on move into setting actions and targets.
“We must transform our relationship with nature, build resilience and protect the fragile health of our land, our ocean and our planet,” he said.
The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Gutteres is calling for a Food System Summit on 23 September this month:”The Summit will serve as a historic opportunity to empower all people to leverage the power of food systems to drive our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and get us back on track to achieve all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030,”
Dageng added that over the past 2 years the Summit has brought together all UN member states and constituencies around the world, including thousands of youth, foods producers, indigenous people, civic societies, researchers, private sector, and the UN system.
“As a people’s summit and a solutions summit, it has recognized that everyone everywhere must take action and work together to transform the way we produce, market and consume the food,”
The Summit will culminate this inclusive global process, offering a catalytic moment for public mobilization and actionable commitments.
Timor-Leste has participated actively to the Summit preparation through nomination of national conveners, consultation of national and sub-national dialogues. The Government has adopted recently a Consolidated National Action Plan for Food and Nutrition Security that outlines 18 key priorities for support by the line ministries and development partners. A national pathway for food systems transformation is also under preparation.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia Borges Rosario
